This invention relates generally to a mechanism for holding an agricultural element and in particular to a clip for holding a first agricultural element in a predetermined relationship to another agricultural element.
For various agricultural purposes, such as providing irrigation or holding a vine or wire, it is desirable to be able to hold an agricultural element, such as an irrigation pipe or a wire, locked into a particular position. A long time ago, farms and the like used sprinklers, ditches and other mechanisms to provide water to crops and other agricultural products. For example, a farmer might divert water into a field in order to provide water to the crops planted in that field. The problem with these typical approaches to watering is that they are very inefficient and very wasteful of water. For example, instead of providing the necessary water only to the base of the plant that needs to water, the water is provided to the entire field so that a lot of water soaks into the soil, but does not provide any nutrients to the plants in the field. As water became more scarce and more expensive due to droughts and the like, a new system and technique for providing water to the plants in the field was needed.
To provide water efficiently to the plants in the fields, a drip irrigation system was developed. With a drip irrigation system, water is distributed to each plant in the field by a network of interconnecting irrigation pipes which are typically made of plastic. At a location where the pipe passes adjacent to each plant, the pipe is punctured or has an existing hole so that the hole exists in the pipe at that location near the plant. Then, when water is fed through the network of irrigation pipes, water drips out of the hole and provides nourishment directly to the plant without wasting water. Some irrigation pipes have been developed in which an emitter is inserted into the irrigation pipe during manufacture in order to provide a predetermined amount of water to a plant. Typically, the irrigation pipe may be secured to a wire with a clip or connector so that the pipe waters predetermined plants. The problem with this system is that the clip permits the pipe to rotate such that the holes in the pipe are no longer pointing directly down. Thus, when water exits the holes in the pipe, it does not necessarily fall where it is intended. For example, the water may flow down the outside of the pipe until a low point in the pipe is encountered and then drip to the ground. To solve the above problem, some companies have developed clips, in addition to the clips that secure the pipe to the wire, which are attached to the pipe at some predetermined points and cause the water to drip onto the ground at that point. These clips ensure that the water does not travel along the outside of the pipe. However, this requires a farmer or his workers to attach these additional clips to solve the problem. It is desirable therefore to provide a clip which both secures the irrigation pipe to a wire and ensures that the water is delivered to the desired location. Thus, it is desirable to provide an agricultural clip that and it is to this end that the present invention is directed.
The agricultural clip in accordance with the invention has several different uses. It may be used to secure an irrigation pipe to a wire in a predetermined relationship so that one or more holes in the irrigation pipe are in a predetermined location. The clip also ensures that the holes remain in the predetermined location and therefore that the water that exits from the irrigation pipe is deposited in the appropriate location. The clip may also puncture the irrigation pipe as the irrigation pipe is inserted into the clip. The clip in accordance with the invention is resilient so that it securely holds the wire and the irrigation pipe. The clip is also resistant to temperature fluctuations. In accordance with another use of the invention, the clip may be used to secure two crossing wires together for such applications as dried on the vine raisins. Thus, the clip may be generally used to secure a first agricultural element, such as a wire or irrigation pipe, into a predetermined relationship with a second agricultural element, such as a wire.
The clip may be formed from a single piece of metal wherein the strip may have a central portion and first and second end portions that are narrower that the central portion. The agricultural clip may be formed by bending the strip so that a curved bottom portion is formed with the end portions overlapping each other.
Thus, in accordance with the invention, an agricultural element clip for holding a first agricultural element in a predetermined relationship with a second agricultural element is provided. The clip comprises a bottom curved portion capable of holding the first agricultural element and first and second end portions attached to the bottom portion at opposite sides. The first and second end portion overlap each other and are capable of being locked into a position to secure the second agricultural element into a predetermined position with respect to the first agricultural element.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an agricultural clip for holding an irrigation pipe in a predetermined relationship with a wire is provided. The clip comprises a curved portion capable of holding the irrigation pipe and first and second end portions attached to the bottom portion at opposite sides. The first and second end portion overlap each other and are capable of being locked into a position to secure the wire into a predetermined position with respect to the irrigation pipe. The bottom curved portion further comprises one or more spikes that puncture the irrigation pipe to cause water fed through the pipe to leak out of the punctures wherein the location of the punctures cannot move are fixed in position by the one or more spikes embedded into the irrigation pipe.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, an agricultural clip for holding a first wire in a predetermined relationship with a second wire is provided. The clip comprises a bottom curved portion and first and second end portions attached to the bottom portion at opposite sides wherein the first and second end portion overlap each other and are capable of being locked into a position to secure the first wire. The first and second end portions each further comprise a cutout region that form a hole in the clip when the clip is formed so that the second wire may be inserted through the hole to secure the second wire in a predetermined relationship with the first wire.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing an agricultural clip is provided. To manufacture the clip, a flat strip of metal is formed having a central portion and thinner end portions and the strip is bent to form a lower curved portion of the clip that holds a first agricultural element. The narrower end portions of the strip are then bent to form overlapping tongue portions that lock a second agricultural element in place so that the agricultural clip holds the first agricultural element in a predetermined position with respect to the second agricultural element.